Its sad when after being a nitro nut for the last 26 years you find yourself bored with the NHRA. Im 28 years old and am finding more interest in the Nostalgia Nitro Funny Cars and these crazy fast 10.5 and Pro Mod cars. I have a weekly conversation with my dad who I compare to the Encyclopedia Brittanica of Drag Racing about all the faults and silly decisions our sanctioning body is making. I as I'm sure many of you other Maters out there have what I think to be great ideas for our sport. Im no marketing genious but I do know that you cant sell a hot dog to an empty seat. I find myself not getting as excited week after week for national events like I used to. I basically know that Larry is gonna win TF. FC is somewhat competitive but its still the same winners all the time. Mike Edwards is going to win PS. I went to Topeka this year and was so dissapointed. The pit area was like a ghost town. The mid way was horrible. I brought a first timer and was embarrased by my most favorite sport. So much downtime. Trying to explain the handicaps in the sportsman categories. I heard numerous people saying "Why does that car get to go before the other one"? and "I thought drag racing was about who gets to the finish line first." Not so in this day and age. Why cant we restructure the sportsman classes so thats its all heads up racing? I could go on and on but I think we all have the same gripes and complaints. Please NHRA pay attention to your fans. We are leaving at a staggering rate. We are not gaining any new fans. High ticket prices, low fields. We need something and need it quick.
Maybe its just me but... (1 Viewer)
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Jim
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Money. The point of the index system is to allow racers to compete with whatever their budgets can afford.
If you make it all heads up, you'll start a cost escalation among those who can afford it and everyone else will drop away.
Besides, watching drivers play the index is what makes sportsman racing interesting.
Jim
Toejam
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Well Look at it this way, who's forcing to follow anything? If NHRA don't float your boat don't watch, easy!
clwill
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Hmmm, maybe you're not paying attention? Last 7 winners in those classes:
TF: Dixon, Kalitta, Dixon, McClenathan, Dixon, Schumacer, Dixon
FC Bode, Hight, Capps, Wilkerson, Wilkerson, JForce, Tasca
PS: Coughlin, AJohnson, Coughlin, Anderson, Anderson, Edwards, Edwards
Funny Car had six different winners in the last seven races, TF and PS had four different winners, and Edwards hasn't won in over two months.
Bracket/index racing has been around for 20 years, so what's with "this day and age"? Without handicaps, it's just a checkbook race.
I'm not saying everything's all hunky-dory, but you seem to be picking just the strangest of nits. How about the terrible NHRA marketing, the pathetic "me-too" following of NASCAR, the embarrassing treatment of sportsman racers, and so on. There are plenty of things to complain about. But not what you've picked.
Well Look at it this way, who's forcing to follow anything? If NHRA don't float your boat don't watch, easy!
Not quite so easy. No one is forcing me to live in the United States, either, but I'm not planning on leaving despite Capitol Hill needing a thorough overhaul. I like it here, and I'm willing to pay for the privilege of being somewhere and doing something that I enjoy. That would apply to drag racing, since I'm not into curling or mountain climbing.
And the NHRA could use some fresh air. All heads-up won't work but there's plenty of ideas that would...ideas that have been brought up and discussed thousands of times right here in this forum.
Jim
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If anyone here has some ideas that they are sure would work, they are also free to put together a business plan, attract investors and start a new series.
Jim
Toejam
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Sure there is, You have ADRL, Nostalgia racing, Pro street racing, etc...The Idea that NHRA is holding all Drag race fans hostage is a crock! If someone doesn't get off on NHRA anymore, find other options.
Toejam
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Jim I understand fully not many Sportsman racers can afford to go Top Sportsman or Dragster! But the Throttle stops have made Super Comp and Gas Boring as Hell to watch. I bet if they outlawed Electronics it would drastically increase the appeal of those classes!
Or at least go back to thorttle stops on the top end like they did in the beginning.
Super Mod
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As they say "the horse is already out of the barn"
What do racers do with seasons of front end data?
Have you checked the sportsman car counts a all events? .down significantly...and I would bet it's not all due to the economy.
Jim
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Joe,
I agree with you on throttle stops. A large number of Super Comp racers have switched over to Top Dragster recently.
Jim
Al smith
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Wait a minute, Who the heck watches throttle stop bracket races except for other throttle stop bracket racers? Brian you need to hang out in the Alcohol pits more often. Almost no other racing exists for me.
Toejam
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I saw Top Dragster at Houston this year for the first time, I enjoyed the Hell out of it. Just wish they had More cars!
Gotta love it when people basically say shut up, if you're so smart or don't like things the way they are, go do it yourself, go find another series or another hobby, etc. Well, I don't have the funds, the business savvy, the time or the desire to start a new drag racing series, so that's out. I'd like to see the NHRA make some changes and there isn't one thing wrong with speaking out about it, as long as what you say is sensible and fair.
As stated, NHRA could use some fresh air. That doesn't mean toss every brass hat and run nothing but Nostalgia and Pro Mods. I can work an NHRA national event and an ADRL event, both, into my schedule so it's not a matter of choosing one over the other or demanding one be like the other. I said they could stand a tuneup and the implementation of some new ideas. Is anyone here really gonna disagree with that?
How many doable, cost-effective ideas would you like me to start with?
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Jim
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I saw Top Dragster at Houston this year for the first time, I enjoyed the Hell out of it. Just wish they had More cars!
I like Top Dragster a lot too. There have been 35 to 45 at every Division 1 race this year. It's a good class to watch.
Jim
It is indeed, and there are others that with some tweaking could be a lot more interesting.
Sorry for barking, Jim.
my friends call me Zappy
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Bullseye Paul F. I agree. If they ( super classes) want to coast, do it at 1200 ft, not right in front of the fan that bought a ticket to see cars race.
theraceman
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You can't have every class be first to the finish line.
Super Classes are popular with the racers and the numbers are down because of the economy. Thats all. if it was so bad, you wouldnt need any grade points to enter a national event.
If you dont like SC SG SST then dont watch, or at least be smart enough to go to the finish line and watch. Its great racing, and the Super racers that were knocked out of the race could explain it all too you.
If someone doesnt understand why a car slows down and then picks back up, a good announcer (or the person that brought them) could EASILY explain this. If that is too difficult, then following a sport like baseball and understanding plate apperiances VS at bats would also be challanging.
Top Sportsman / Top Dragster is a great addition for NHRA. Great place for the go faster guy to play without a stop. Of course they do use delay boxes and many people (that dont race) don't like them either.
Super Classes are popular with the racers and the numbers are down because of the economy. Thats all. if it was so bad, you wouldnt need any grade points to enter a national event.
If you dont like SC SG SST then dont watch, or at least be smart enough to go to the finish line and watch. Its great racing, and the Super racers that were knocked out of the race could explain it all too you.
If someone doesnt understand why a car slows down and then picks back up, a good announcer (or the person that brought them) could EASILY explain this. If that is too difficult, then following a sport like baseball and understanding plate apperiances VS at bats would also be challanging.
Top Sportsman / Top Dragster is a great addition for NHRA. Great place for the go faster guy to play without a stop. Of course they do use delay boxes and many people (that dont race) don't like them either.
Bullard Anderson
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Getting back to the 1st post, it's the ebb and flow of sports-life getting older and evolving. I used to live and die with basketball, now I could care less about any roundball.
I find Funny Car to be better than ever for me personally.
I find Funny Car to be better than ever for me personally.
clwill
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We are accelerating just fine thank you, no one is "coasting". It's the rate of acceleration that's held back. We still go ~1.4 seconds to 60 foot, 0-60 in less than a second, and are doing ~130 at half track. All way faster than most other sportsman classes. We just alter the rate to get the incredibly tight racing at the other end: many races decided by less than a thousandth.
Don't hate what you don't understand. Stand at the finish line and watch, or better, ask someone who does.
